The fall from grace of Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds and countless politicians makes you wonder where you can still find heroes. One reliable source: the firehouse. It's tough not to love firefighters, the modern-day urban warriors - with their own hearty brand of culture and history - who are willing to face death on a public servant's salary. Here are hot spots in the West that honor those who fight the flames.

1. Gateway Exhibit Center, Oakland

This open-air platform (resembling the frame of a burned house) and garden near the Caldecott Tunnel is a quiet spot for education and contemplation that pays homage to the firefighters who battled the 1991 Oakland firestorm. The burned area is most of the foreground, now populated by condos and native plants, as well as a panorama of the Bay Area. Tunnel Road and Caldecott Lane. oaklandlandscapecommittee.org.

2. San Diego Firehouse Museum

Inhabiting the former home of San Diego Fire Station No. 6 in downtown's Little Italy district, this brick museum showcases more than a 160 years of firefighting history, including an 1841 hand-drawn fire wagon, two horse-drawn wagons and three motorized fire trucks. There's also an exhibit of fire engine models and a hall devoted to 9/11 firefighters. Adults $3, children and seniors $2. Open Thursday to Sunday. 1572 Columbia St., (619) 232-3473, www.sandiegofirehousemuseum.com.

3. Gold Butte Lookout,

Marion County, Ore.

Awakening to a panoramic view of Mount Hood, Mount Adams and other Cascade Range peaks from the window of your room may sound like an unaffordable fantasy, but it costs only $65 per night for up to four guests at this refurbished former fire lookout. Operated by the U.S. Forest Service, it's less remote (50 miles from Salem plus a half-mile hike) and rustic (with a bed, cots, woodstove and outhouse) than most USFS lookout rentals. (877) 444-6777, www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mthood/passes-permits/?cid=fsbdev2_026634.

4. San Francisco Fire Engine Tours

You've probably seen them on the Golden Gate Bridge: 14-passenger, open-air 1950s "pumper truck" fire engines, with passengers in firefighter jackets. The jackets are authentic, but the riders are passengers on the tour, which takes in Fisherman's Wharf, Union Street, the Presidio, Fort Baker and Sausalito. The tour covers the 1906 quake and fire, but mostly sticks to lighter city trivia and occasional singing. 650 Beach St., (415) 333-7077, fireenginetours.com.

5. Firehouse Restaurant,

Florence, Ore.

Saunter into this casual seafood joint on the central Oregon coast and your senses are struck by the twin aromas of garlic fries and award-winning clam chowder - and the sight of hundreds of firefighter shirts (some from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan) and uniform patches. Vintage fire extinguishers and fireman toys also fill the restaurant. One owner is a retired Bakersfield fire chief; the other owner collects Harley memorabilia (also on display). Closed Mondays. 1263 Bay St., (541) 997-2800.